June 27, 2009 - Kolkata - formerly Calcutta is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal) In keeping with the Supreme Court order, cigarette packs with pictorial warnings covering at least 40 per cent of the front of the packet made their entry in city outlets on Thursday.

Cigarettes manufactured by the Hyderabad-based VST Industries Ltd under the brand name “Special” carried a picture of smoke-damaged lungs with the warning “Smoking Kills” in white on a red background above it, and another warning beside the picture that said “Tobacco Causes Cancer”.

The Union government had assured the apex court last month that it would ensure pictorial warnings like the skull and cross bones or a cancer-disfigured face were carried on cigarettes packets and other tobacco products from May 31 onwards under the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products (Packing and Labeling) Rules, 2008.

While plans were on the anvil since former Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss successfully brought about the ban on smoking in public places on October 2 last year, the government was yet to implement the pictorial warnings as stipulated by law. The government’s undertaking to the SC came after an NGO, Health for Millions, filed a lawsuit seeking implementation of the law on pictorial warnings on the packets of all tobacco products.

While VST authorities were not available for comment, Godfrey Phillips India Ltd, the second-largest player in the cigarette market, said their cigarette packets with the pictorial warning would hit the outlets soon.

“The notification specifies that the warning has to be carried on packets manufactured on or after May 31. However, stocks available with wholesale dealers may be of those manufactured before May 31. As this stock gets consumed, the packets manufactured after May 31 will be available,” said Harmanjeet Singh, chief corporate communications at Godfrey-Phillips.

June 27, 2009 - Canada's illegal (illicit, contraband) cigarette trade is soaring out of control -- and governments at all levels are reluctant to do anything about it. Imperial Tobacco says the problem is exploding. Last year, one-third of all cigarettes in Canada were sold illegally. In Ontario, it skyrocketed to almost half -- 48%. The year before, the figure was roughly 22% across Canada, with just over 30% in this province."A lot of people's livelihoods are at stake here," says Imperial Tobacco President Benjamin Kemball. It's not just tobacco manufacturers who are hurting. "The sharp spike in illegal sales is eating into those profit margins and putting independent stores out of business," Kemball noted. Despite the massive loss of tax revenues due to illegal smokes, he noted, governments are "in denial." Kemball estimates governments across Canada are losing roughly $2.4 billion a year in uncollected tobacco taxes and that Ontario's share of that is about $1.1 billion. Last year, Ontario's auditor general reported that in 2006/07 fiscal year, the loss to the province was $500 million. "We believe it has doubled in that time and most of the figures would confirm that," Kemball said.

While governments publicly pat themselves on the back for reducing the sale of legal tobacco, data shows those people are still smoking -- they're just buying more smokes illegally. "All the government has done is create the largest illegal tobacco market in this hemisphere, including Latin America," Kemball said.

While the problem originates on native reserves and in smoke shacks, not all reserves are to blame, Kemball said. Places like Six Nations and Akwesasne continue to be a problem, but many other reserves obey the law and demand ID for their on-reserve sales. On most reserves, only buyers with first nation status are allowed to purchase cigarettes without paying tax. Everyone else pays and those revenues are shared between the government and the reserve.

Kemball says the market has been taken over by organized crime with the criminals also selling guns, cocaine and marijuana.

"You now have Ontario's youth buying tobacco products without any restrictions or controls from dealers who are also trafficking (in) alcohol, drugs and firearms," Kemball said.

Sgt. Mike Harvey of the Cornwall Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP confirms that. He says 25 criminal groups are involved in the illicit tobacco trade in the local area alone. With cigarettes selling illegally for as little as $10 a carton, it's mostly kids who are buying. "They're recruiting youth to transport the cigarettes from the Akwesasne Mohawk territory to smoke shacks in other aboriginal communities," Harvey said.

In one case, a 17 year-old girl was making $6,000 a week doing that and used the money to finance her drug addiction.

"The general public sees this as sticking it to the tax man and that it's their right to buy cigarettes at low prices (because) the government is over-taxing them," he said. "They are really financing organized crime groups, who are using this money to produce drugs such as Ectasy and meth labs across Canada."

I don't smoke. I don't like people to smoke around me. But if people are going to buy a legal product, they should do so legally. This week, the UN said Canada is a "primary source" of Ecstasy and methamphetamines.

As long as governments refuse to deal with the illicit tobacco trade, we'll continue to be the party drug dealer of choice to the world.

June 27, 2009 - Dr. Michael Fiore, Director of the University of Wisconsin (UW) Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention and his Associate Director, Dr. Timothy Baker released article in the American Journal of Public Health (July 2009, Vol 99, No. 7 | American Journal of Public Health 1170-1175) have predicted that tobacco use will actually be eliminated in the United States by the year 2047.

PAPER: Stealing a March in the 21st Century: Accelerating Progress in the 100-Year War Against Tobacco Addiction in the United States, Michael C. Fiore, MD, MPH and Timothy B. Baker, PhD, published online ahead of print May 14, 2009, July 2009, Vol 99, No. 7 American Journal of Public Health 1170-1175, ABSTRACT...Fiore says over the last couple of decades, more than 10-million Americans have been killed by smoking. It will take a lot of hard work, but Dr. Michael Fiore is convinced we can win the war on tobacco. The paper outlines ways progress can be accelerated so the goal can be achieved even earlier. Fiore explains eliminating the use of tobacco depends on increasing federal and state taxes, enacting a nationwide smoking ban, cutting out nicotine, media campaigns to point out the dangers of cigarettes, ban tobacco promotion, increase cessation counseling, and prevent kids from starting in the first place.

The pair published "Stealing a March in the 21st Century: Accelerating Progress in the 100-Year War Against Tobacco Addiction in the United States" in the American Journal of Public Health. Michael Fiore and Timothy Baker, director and associate director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention (UW-CTRI), respectively, chart milestones in beating tobacco addiction and map a battle plan to eradicate tobacco use in the next few decades. The researchers analyzed data from the 1960s, when the first systemic tracking of smoking rates began, until the present.

Baker and Fiore called for FDA regulation of tobacco products to spur progress. That bill was signed into law on June 22, along with provisions that would further restrict tobacco industry targeting of kids, strengthen health warnings on tobacco packaging, require disclosure about what's in tobacco products and ban terms like "light" and "mild" to describe cigarettes.

June 27, 2009 - Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH-7) together with the Central Philippine Union Mission (CPUM) of the Seventh Day Adventist are conducting an advocacy campaign tour on anti-smoking to solicit the support of the local government units in making their areas of jurisdiction a free-smoking zone.

Though the country has drafted the Anti-Smoking Law in 1998 which mandates private establishments like restaurants to designate a free-smoking area, Dr. Judita Tawatao, the regional coordinator on non-communicable disease program of the Dept. of Health (DOH-7) said such move poses more danger to non-smokers as second-hand smoke is even more fatal compared to first-hand smoke or the smokers themselves.Smokers are at a high risk of developing heart diseases like hypertension and are likely to suffer more from heart attack and stroke. Smoking also contributes to cancer of the lungs, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease such as bronchitis and diabetes, this is learned.

Seven out of 10 Filipinos die of non-communicable diseases like heart disorders, cancer and respiratory problems like chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) while the common risk factor to these diseases is smoking, according to Tawatao.

Tawatao admitted that it would be hard to lobby for a smoke-free Philippines as most legislators themselves are smokers and no doubt would oppose such move. "That is why we are slowly introducing the no-smoke campaign concept to the local government units first," Tawatao said.

It is a tall order to be able to convince the mayors of every town and city to make their place a smoke-free zone through drafting legal measures or ordinances but "if Davao City and Makati City can do it, why not here?" Tawatao further said.

Tobacco control is one of the three major components of the Healthy Lifestyle Program of the DOH apart from regular exercise and proper diet.

But in order to dissuade the youths from smoking, parents themselves must also quit smoking and serve as a role model to their children, Tawatao ended. (PIA-Cebu/FCR)

In the Philippines, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) reports that ten Filipinos die every hour due to smoking. Furthermore, 35 percent of the general population are smokers, of which 60 percent are males, 9 percent are women, 15 percent of whom are young girls in their teens. Also, five out of the ten causes of death in our country can be attributed to cigarette smoking. Hence, we commend the efforts of anti-smoking advocates who are trying to reduce smoking and its casualties in the country. We commend the examples set by the following leaders in successfully banning smoking within buildings and public places under their jurisdiction — GSIS PGM Winston Garcia, Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, Quezon City Mayor Sonny Belmonte, Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay, Taguig City Mayor Freddie Tinga, Marikina City Mayor Marides Fernando, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and Puerto Princesa Mayor Edward Hagedorn. We hope that other city officials will follow suit for the sake of their constituents and the Filipino public in general. Moreover, “no smoking” posters should be mounted in major crowded public areas here, similar to the practice in major cities in the United States. And, most important of all, Filipinos should learn to follow the signs and regulations when they see them.

June 26, 2009 - The United Nations (UN) Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) leads the international campaign with the aim of raising awareness to the people as the major problem arises in the society due to illicit drugs and especially to young people. This campaign runs from 2007 to 2009 to inspire people and mobilize support for drug control as this is the main goal of the campaign.

At this time the UNODC releases a new edition of its flagship publication, the World Drug Report. Every year, the World Drug Report provides one of the most complete assessments of the international drug problem, with comprehensive information on the illicit drug situation.This year, for the first time, the World Drug Report includes special sections on the quality of drug data available to UNODC, trends in drug use among young people and drug-related offences recorded by police. It also addresses the black market for drugs, one of the most formidable unintended consequences of drug control, and ways in which the international community can best tackle it.

Known as C-32, the Canadian "Cracking Down on Tobacco Marketing Aimed at Youth Act" seeks to ban the sale and production of flavored cigarettes and cigars.

The Canadian bill's supporters say that C-32 would prevent the production of candy or fruit-flavored mini-cigars or cigarillos that are targeted at children. During 2007, about 25 percent of that country's 15to 17-year-olds smoked one of these mini-cigars, said Colin Carrie, parliamentary secretary for Canada's minister of health.

"By amending the Tobacco Act [with C-32] we can help prevent more young people from experimenting with an addictive substance," Carrie said before the bill passed in the House of Commons on June 17. The legislation is now making its way through the Canadian Senate.

Those who support a statewide smoking ban aren't calling a 2010 vote official just yet. That's because the group has a week to comb through all of the signatures themselves to make sure there are enough valid names on the petition. The Secretary of State says in his view the petition is official until the South Dakota Tobacco Free Kids Network can prove in an affidavit that opponents did not get enough signatures to put the issue on the November 2010 ballot.

Opponents of a statewide smoking ban having thousands of signatures certified in time to delay the smoke free law in South Dakota is a victory itself. "It's a relief. It's a lot of work to get that many signatures and we relied on volunteers," petition drive organizer Larry Mann said.Thursday, supporters of the smoking ban said they are gearing up for a week long examination of the petition opponents handed in. "We're simply participating in something many other groups and individuals do to make sure we've covered all the bases," Darrin Smith of the American Heart Association said. The South Dakota Tobacco Free Kids Network says it will review and challenge the 25 thousand signatures handed in. The Secretary of State's verification process uses a five percent sample of the petition to figure out if it has enough valid signatures.

"We'll see what happens if it turns out they officially qualify for the ballot when all the reviews are done," Smith said.

The Secretary of State's review of the petition showed a 27-point-9 percent rate of invalid signatures on the petition, which is higher than average but not the worst the office has seen. Opponents who circulated the petitions say they are comfortable with a second review of the signatures. "We believe people ought to have the right to due process. So, that's the law that we're given to work with and if they want to avail themselves of it that's their prerogative," Mann said.

June 26, 2009 - A suirvey by the Tobacco Retailers Alliance (TRA), which represents 26,000 UK independent retailers, demonstrates the pressing need to outlaw the proxy purchasing of tobacco and address the real routes of supply to under-18s.

Comments from Action on Smoking & Health (ASH) United KIngdom: As for proxy purchasing - ie adults buying tobacco for young people - it is true that it in not illegal in the UK. It has been suggested - mainly by the pro-tobacco lobby - that it should become illegal. However, we are not convinced that it is necessary to change the law. There is no clear evidence that it would be effective, and in practice would be very difficult to enforce. (As you know, if laws cannot be rigorously enforced, there is little point having them.) Overall, we feel this is a distraction from the main issue, ie stopping the marketing of tobacco products to young people for which there is a much stronger evidence base.

June 26, 2009 - KUALA LUMPUR: Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (Cuepacs) is ignoring the rights of non-smokers when it opposed the Public Service Department's (PSD) stand on no-smoking at government departments and agencies. The PSD said there was already a provision under the Control of Tobacco Product Regulations (Amend­ment) 2008 on this. Those who violate provisions under the regulations can be fined up to RM10,000 or jailed up to two years. Cuepacs president Omar Osman said the blanket rule was unfair and called on the Government to provide designated rooms for smokers.Prof Dr Rahmat Awang of Universiti Sains Malaysia's National Poison Centre and Malaysian Trades Union Congress adviser on indoor air quality Dr T. Jayabalan said Cuepacs must be seen to serve the rights of non-smokers as much as it wanted to protect the rights of smokers.

They said it had been proven that ventilation systems could not filter the particles and gases in tobacco smoke to safe levels. They said tobacco smoke contained more than 4,000 chemicals, including more than 200 that were poisonous, and at least 69 that were carcinogenic.

They were responding Cuepacs' call to Public Service Department (PSD) not to impose a blanket ban on smoking in government premises but to provide smokers with designated smoking areas. It was reported in a local daily recently that the PSD would monitor the no-smoking rule at government premises. The PSD had also said government servants were prohibited from smoking in government premises.

Dr Rahmat said the notion that designated smoking areas was a responsible alternative to a smoking ban was flawed. Dr Rahmat and Dr Jayabalan said it was not advisable to have designated smoking areas because:smoking sections without floor-to-ceiling partitions between the non-smoking section and smoking section do not prevent exposure to second-hand smoke; designated rooms pose a threat to those who have to clean and work in them; and smoke escapes through the open door when people enter or leave the smoking room.

International Labour Organisation (is the tripartite UN agency that brings together governments, employers and workers of its member states in common action to promote decent work throughout the world) estimates showed that 200,000 workers were killed each year by exposure to second-hand smoke at work.

In a survey carried out in Malaysia, they said, it was found that 61.3 per cent of adult smokers had wanted to quit but found it difficult.

They said enforcing eight hours of non-smoking would be a step in the right direction to kick the habit. "It must be remembered that there is no safe level of exposure to tobacco smoke and scientists have concluded that the only effective protection is 100 per cent smoke-free places."

The FDA will control what goes into cigarettes, how they are packaged and labeled and how they are marketed and sold, among other powers. Although retailers do not all share the same level of concern for all aspects of the new tobacco reality, they all have concerns.

A recent Kraft/CSP Daily News poll asked, "What do you think is the worst thing that could realistically result from FDA oversight of tobacco products?" Of the nearly 160 respondents, nearly 22% said "uncompromising merchandising restrictions"; about 11.5% said "a general decrease in sales"; 11% said "a single manufacturer gaining overwhelming control of the industry"; 6.5% said "a national ban on tobacco sales"; almost 8% said "overly dramatic warning labels"; more than 3% said "local bans on tobacco sales"; 40% said "all of the above"; nearly 2% said "other;" and about 3% said "none."CSP Daily News conducted a random sampling of a few retailers to get their reactions to FDA tobacco control. Below are a couple of the comments.

"I think they've proven around the world that the graphic warning labels don't have much impact. Most consumers know what they're buying and the risks and choose to make that decision. There's nobody out there who uses tobacco products who aren't aware of the risks associated with it. "The impact to the consumer is going to be the continued escalation of cost of goods. They'll notice that."

"I think there will be some silver lining for us as it starts to unfold. What kind of input can we have as retailers in the rules-making? How do we play now that the game is changed? We don't really know until they start their rules-making. More government is never better."

"Everyday I am more and more amazed at the intrusion by the federal government into the lives of small business owners. Though to early to tell what the full impact will be of FDA control of tobacco, I believe history is a great teacher. I can think of no government effort that does what it was intended to do except for our military. Every other program hits the bottom line of every retailer, and this will be no different."

Harm Reduction - let's get in straight this time. Tobacco harm reduction (THR) policies aim to reduce the prevalence of tobacco-related harm by encouraging smokers who are unable or unwilling to quit to adopt less harmful ways of obtaining nicotine, such as pharmaceutical nicotine and oral tobacco snuff.

At one time the use of harm reduction tobacco products was for use specifically by the pool of inveterate (hard-nosed, long established, deep-rooted) cigarette smokers that refuse to consider trying to quit smoking tobacco. For example, supporters of harm reduction such as Brad Rodu, DDS and William T. Godshall, MPH authored a paper in the December 2006 issue of the Harm Reduction Journal entitled, "Tobacco Harm Reduction: An Alternate Cessation Strategy for Inveterate Smokers," and Dr. Coral Gartner and colleagues paper in the June 16, 2007 issue of The Lancet concluded that SNUS could produce a net health benefit in inveterate smokers.

If we can limit the distribution of these harm reduction tobacco products in inveterate smokers then we are for use of these products. Of course, there needs to be agreement on who these people are. Dr. Rodu claims that 25 million of the 46 million current smokers in the U.S. are inveterate, “meaning that they are so addicted to nicotine that they cannot quit.” (Rodu B, Jansson C. Smokeless tobacco and oral cancer: a review of the risks and determinants. Crit Rev Oral Biol Med 2004;15(5):252-63.) GALLUP - Among the 21% of Americans who say they smoke, 74% say they would like to give up smoking.Joel Nitzkin, M.D., MPH, Chair AAPHP Tobacco Control Task Force, American Association of Public Health Physicians: we our agreement (with us) is that if harm reduction products like SNUS could be limited to inveterate tobacco smokers then we would have no problem."

But this is impossible to limit the distribution of these products. As pointed out by John Britton, MD, Chair of the Royal Royal College of PhysiciansTobacco Advisory Group, a proponent of the use of harm reduction therapy, "It's tobacco companies job to sell as much tobacco as possible, so they will be targeting non-smokers rather than current ones, that's the worry."

Just looking at R.J. Reynolds Tobacco there no limitation on targeting a particular group of smokers everybody is fair game. This has been seen with Camel SNUS and the now with the different dosage forms of dissolvable products.

Sales of Snus (Swedish moist snuff) have failed just about everywhere in the world it has been marketed except in Sweden and Norway. In Sweden snus has been used for over 200 years it's a tradition - part of their culture. According to Dr. Karl E. Lund, research director at the Norwegian Institute for Alcohol and Drug Research in Norway (not an EU country) over the past decade, daily use of snus has tripled among teens and young adults. Swedish Match, makes what Dr. Lund calls "starter kits." "This is snus sold in glamorous metal boxes…where the snus is seasoned with different kinds of fruit flavors," he explains. "[They are] easy to use for snus novices." (NCI Cancer Bulletin, Feb 20, 2007 vol 4 number 8) The people that learn how to SNUS are young adults and kids that want to be young adults NOT inveterate smokers.

Even in Sweden the number of men using smokeless wet snuff (‘snus’) tobacco has fallen from 22 to 19 percent, while snus use among women has remained stable over the last five years at about 3 to 4 percent. These data comes from the annual survey carried out by the the Swedish National Institute of Public Health (Folkhälsoinstitutet) and presented in an article in the Dagens Nyheter (DN) newspaper. The national public health survey has roughly 50,000 participants between the ages of 16 and 84-years-old.

Just about all tobacco manufacturers who are marketing a SNUS-type product in the US and even in Canada are disappointed with the results. Lorillard Tobacco Chairman, President and CEO Marty Orlowsky was asked to comment on their smokeless program. Well, I think we're experiencing a similar pattern as some of our competition as marketing or test marketing [SNUS] products. It's a relatively low level of interest that's being expressed by the consumers and we're just monitoring the situation as we move forward. I really don't have anything very specific to report. There have been no major changes to the consumer perceptions of that product.

Dan Butler, former President of USSTC (United States Smokeless Tobacco Company) is very disappointed with the progress of the SNUS segment in total. The entire segment itself has gained very little traction, and we had plans to be more aggressive. Frankly, we are revisiting those because the size of this market and how slowly it's developing -- it's so tiny and taking so long to gain any traction. We've got almost seven years of experience with Revel SNUS (has been discontinued)and our competitors out there now for a couple of years -- we're struggling whether this segment is really going to take hold or not and whether an American consumer is really interested in this form of tobacco or not. (Within Altria Butler is president, U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company (USSTC), the world's largest manufacturer and marketer of smokeless tobacco.)

The few people that use the stuff in the U.S. are young adults and kids that want to be young adults. There is an art to SNUSing - if the bag is not placed in the proper place (and kept there without movement for like 25 minutes) the flow of saliva is increased and the user has the urge to spit.

“Markets like Russia will be the opportunity, where snus is already sold but with limited presence and knowledge,” said David Hayes, an analyst at Nomura in London.As Swedish Match learned in Russia (Snus product called Click) with no prior Snus tradition - it is a matter of marketing an entire new behavior pattern and teaching consumers. You would think, that if a tobacco users have to change their behavior, they might as well give up tobacco products and live longer.

“It’s a very difficult thing to persuade people to put tobacco in their mouths and suck,” said Jonathan Fell, an analyst at Deutsche Bank AG, who has a “hold” rating on Swedish Match. “It will be a long haul for everybody,” and probably won’t have a meaningful effect on profit for five to 10 years, he said.

In the US and even in Canada sales of SNUS have ben disappointing. Again ...Kessler, we are very disappointed in the total performance of whether -- they call it Snus or we call it spit-free. We've been testing this thing now for seven years. The newer entrance [entrees], if you go back, is now, in original markets, is over two years, and it is not gaining the traction, given the level of investment that's been put there.

Reynolds has tried every possible marketing scheme without success. No way they are targeting older established .

There is a technique to using SNUS properly - if not mastered increasing amounts of saliva wiil be produced resultingin the user having the urge to spot.. Art of Snsing/..

Who do you think has time to learn the art to avoid spitting? - young adults and kids that want to be young adults. (Are adults snoozing while kids are "snusing?"..http://snus-news.blogspot.com/2008/04/are-adults-snoozing-while-kids-are.htm , Experience of a High School Student Using Camel SNUS - from the Kansas City Star, 10/31/2007 http://snus-news.blogspot.com/2007/11/experience-of-high-school-student-using.html )

NO proof these SNUS products will, help smoker quit the use of tobacco. I Sweden have NOT ben used to wean people off tobacco.

At present products an be promoted in such a way that encourage young adults and yes kids that want to be young adults..

Recently was at a local convenience store keeping up with the happenings and picked out of the trash a discarded Rolling Stone magazine (July 9-23, 209). There was one tobacco ad on thicker paper in the center of the magazine for Camel SNUS with a coupon for a free can with any tobacco purchase. We've seen similar coupons but even with the item free people aren't anxious to give it a try. Leslie Zeifman of Straight Arrow Publishing Co., Inc. owners of Rolling Stone magazines, Rolling Stone still seeks readers who are "hip and young." (THE MEDIA BUSINESS: Advertising; Spin Hopes To Challenge Rolling StonePublished: Monday, July 2, 1990)

I'm sure you will agree our kids are still our number one priority http://snus-news.blogspot.com/2008/01/our-kids-are-still-our-number-one.html . Tobacco companies are gearing up to provide smokeless tobacco in various forms that kids will just love such as sprays, toothpicks, lozenges, film strips like Listerine strips http://snus-news.blogspot.com/2008/10/stop-proliferation-of-flavored-tobacco.html . If this happens we'll end up with our future leaders addicted to nicotine never able to reach their full potential.

June 25, 2009 - Native Americans from all over the U.S. are in Middle Georgia this week, and they are declaring a war--a war on the negative use of tobacco. The group camped in Mile Branch River Park in Pulaski County for the three-day national summit.

Native Americans came from Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma and Colorado to teach their younger generation how to value tobacco, and not abuse it.

Inter-Tribal Council Member Dr. Dewey Painter says he knows first hand that commercial use of the drug is destroying the lives of Native Americans everywhere.

Tribe elders say, they do use tobacco, but only for ceremonial and medical purposes. All other uses should be avoided. Tribe elders are using a curriculum called Keep Tobacco Scared, and they say, summits like these are just the beginning of teaching their youth the value of tobacco without abusing it.

June 25, 2009 - METRO VANCOUVER — Langley RCMP handed out their first ticket recently to a driver caught smoking with a child (kids, children) in the car.

The man was pulled over while he was smoking with a 13-year-old in the car. The driver was handed a ticket with a $109 fine and also was given a 24-hour suspension for driving under the influence of alcohol.

Langley RCMP Cpl. Holly Marks believes it was one of the first tickets of its kind handed out in B.C. "The wife was in the car and she was not upset that he got a ticket," she explained Wednesday. "She told the officer she had been trying to get her husband to stop smoking in the car."

New Yorkers are being called upon to give their opinion in a public hearing on July 30 on a new Health Code amendment that would put graphic anti-smoking warnings wherever tobacco products are sold. The warnings would include images depicting the adverse health effects of smoking and information on how to quit.

The measure, which is expected to be voted on in September, would require the city's 12,000 tobacco retailers to display these large "point-of-sale warnings and cessations messages" at eye-level wherever tobacco products are displayed and at the point of purchase is made, such as a cash register. It is also described as the first regulation of its kind in the nation.According to the Health Department, these displays will force the customer to see the health effects of smoking and visually contemplate their tobacco purchase. They say the signage also promotes a greater understanding of the toll tobacco takes on the body and encourage current smokers to quit. "While the tobacco industry spends billions of dollars every year to glamorize smoking, we will show New Yorkers the harsh realities," Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley, stated, "These warning signs will help persuade smokers to quit and show children why they shouldn't start smoking."

But Mohamed Shody, mignight manager of midtown Manhattan's Omniall Deli said to PIX News, "It's never going to stop people from buying cigarettes because the smokes cannot quit immediately. It takes a long time. And, by the way, I'm a smoker too and it's not going to affect me."

The new signs also targets the city's youth population. Most smokers start taking puffs during their adolescence and by age 19. According to the Health Department, two-third of that group become daily smokers. Nearly 2 million of the city's 8.3 million residents are under the age of 18, according to the Department of City Planning.

The city recorded its lowest adult smoking rate in 2008, with only 15.8% of New Yorkers smoking. But the Health Department says that there are still 950,000 New Yorkers who smoke. About 7,400 New York City residents die from tobacco-related illnesses each year, which is more than the death toll of AIDS, homicide, suicide and drug-related deaths combined.

Farley: "Smoking continues to be the leading cause of preventable death in New York City."

The proposal is the latest from New York City's ongoing campaign to help New Yorkers quit smoking. The Health Department's television ad campaign, for example, include commericals with children, surgical procedures and testimonials from a man who was left with a hole in his throat from throat cancer and a woman who had to have her fingers amputated.

June 25, 2009 - After several bans on smoking in public places in most Chinese cities went up in smoke. Shanghai and Luoyang are among six cities, including Wuxi (Jiangsu), Changsha (Hubei), Ningbo (Zhejiang) and Tangshan (Hebei), which joined Qingdao in a campaign called "Tobacco Free Cities" launched in the coastal capital of Shandong province yesterday, June 23rd. The seven cities have been picked from a pool of 34 cities and the program is expected to expand to more regions next year, said Wang Ke'an, director of ThinkTank Research Center for Health Development.

The five-year program, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, will provide the cities with funds to implement anti-smoking policies. Most of the seven cities that have joined the campaign already have smoking bans in place, but "hope to tighten controls and raise awareness" about the harmful effects of smoking.

Li Aihong, an official with the Luoyang disease prevention and control center, said her research found that 80 percent of people in her city are "forced to inhale second-hand smoke in their own homes. As most families now have only one child, we want to start with newlyweds, pregnant women and new mothers to urge their husbands not to light up at home for the sake of the baby."

As the world's largest cigarette market, with annual sales of 2 trillion cigarettes, China has more than 350 million smokers, about a third of the world's smokers.

Shanghai hopes to use the program to achieve its target of becoming a "tobacco free" city ahead of the World Expo, due to kick off in May next year. Shen Xiaoming, vice mayor of the metropolis, said they expect the program to help "create a tobacco-free environment for the people" of Shanghai. "Later this year, Shanghai will promulgate a local tobacco-control regulation to strengthen its anti-smoking efforts," he said.

Between June and September, experts from the US-based Emory University and ThinkTank Research Center for Health Development in Beijing will help the seven cities appraise their current tobacco control measures, and help them chalk out targets for the future.

Each city will have access to $100,000 a year, provided by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. At the end of next June, the performance of each city will be evaluated to determine if the program must continue.

"What is the most important (for the success of the program) is the political will," said Jeffrey P Koplan, director of the Emory Global Health Institute.

June 25, 2009 - The New York City (NYC) Health Department is proposing city tobacco retailers post signs with graphic images such as cancer-ravaged throats and black lungs in an effort to discourage smoking, health officials said Wednesday.

The signs - the first of their kind in the country - would include health risk warnings and information on how to quit, said Sarah Perl, assistant commissioner of the city's Bureau of Tobacco Control. "You're going to see what a blackened lung looks like; you're going to see what mouth cancer looks like; you're going to see what it looks like when you have throat cancer," Perl said. "They're going to have to think, 'Do I really want to pay 10 bucks for mouth cancer?'"The city Board of Health will hold hearings and vote in September on the proposal. Officials expect opposition from many of the city's 12,000 tobacco retailers and the cigarette industry.

IMAGE - The Honorable Morris Iemma, former Premier of the State of New South Wales, Australia. The premier along with his cabinet refused to give in to the pressure applied by big tobacco and did what is best to protect the health of their constituents.

June 24, 2009 - The Australian State of New South Wales (NSW) will introduce tough anti-tobacco laws starting Wednesday, July 1, 2009.

People in NSW caught smoking in cars in front of children will soon face fines of $250 under tough new tobacco laws. Under the laws, NSW Police can issue motorists with a $250 on-the-spot fine if they are caught smoking in front of passengers aged under 16.

NSW minister assisting the minister for health on cancer Jodi McKay says the laws, which also regulate the way cigarettes are displayed in shops, will come into effect on July 1.

Ms McKay said the new laws would prevent children from being exposed to tobacco use. "Smoking continues to be the greatest single cause of premature death in NSW and we are demonstrating leadership in protecting children and young people from the harmful effects of tobacco," she said in a statement on Sunday.

McKay: "We refuse to be complacent about tobacco control, particularly the use of tobacco products around children."

The new laws also mean retailers must keep all tobacco products out of sight, vending machines will be restricted to licensed premises and tobacco companies will be banned from sponsoring sporting events.

Retailers who sell cigarettes to children or breach other regulations may be stopped from selling tobacco products.

"This is a strong package of reforms that will have an immediate benefit for the community, especially children," Dr Penman said.

Shops with more than 50 employees will have six months to implement the display ban, while retailers who employ less than 50 people have a year to comply.

Tobacconists who generate 80 per cent of turnover from tobacco-related sales have 12 months to register as a specialist business to have a further three years to comply with the ban.

Ms McKay said retailers would have time to get used to the new laws, with draft regulations detailing the changes released on Monday as part of a month-long public consultation process. NSW Health will work with retailers to help them phase out cigarette displays.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: We aim to discuss current insights on the influence of active smoking and environmental tobacco smoke in lower and upper respiratory inflammatory illnesses. RECENT FINDINGS: Insight has been gained on the effect of tobacco smoking on the development of asthma from the womb to adolescence. Secondhand tobacco exposure and active smoking play a major role not only in the inception of asthma epidemiological community studies but also in patients already suffering from allergic rhinitis. Tobacco seems to influence innate immunity predisposing to Th2-associated respiratory diseases and increasing the risk for IgE-mediated sensitization. Tobacco smoking is related to worst outcomes in both asthma and rhinitis. SUMMARY: Several deleterious effects have been described in asthma because of smoking: accelerated decline in lung function, more severe symptoms, impairment in quality of life and diminished therapeutic response to steroids. The harmful effect of tobacco smoking is not only on asthma but also on rhinitis playing a role in disease outcomes. Tobacco exposure can influence innate immunity diminishing innate production of antigen-presenting cells cytokines, as well as an impaired response to toll-like receptor ligands. Active smoking is associated with current symptoms of asthma and rhinitis and seems to be a risk factor for developing new asthma in patients with rhinitis. Tobacco smoking has been also found among the factors inducing nasal obstruction and decreased muco-ciliary clearance in nonallergic rhinitis.

June 24, 2009 - The State of Missouri does not have a smoking ban in place. Missouri's Clean Air Act signed into law in 1992, permits "bars, taverns, restaurants that seat less than 50 people, bowling alleys and billiard parlors," among a variety of other areas including "private residences," not to maintain any indoor nonsmoking area at all.

On April 8, 2008, voters in Kansas City, Missouri approved a smoking ordinance that eliminates smoking in bars and restaurants, in addition to all other enclosed workplaces except for casino gaming floors. This ordinance went into effect June 6, and enforcement began at 12:01 a.m. on June 21, when a temporary restraining order was lifted. The purpose of the smoking ordinance is to protect those working in Kansas City, Mo., from the dangers of secondhand or environmental tobacco smoke.(Kansas City, Mo., Smoking Ordinance.)

On January 21, 2009, a bartender at a small bar and billiard parlor in Kansas City (JC's Sports Bar) appealed to the Missouri Court of Appeals from a decision of the Circuit Court of Jackson County upholding Kansas City's smoking ordinance and finding her guilty of violating it. (Press Release - KC Smoking Ban Appeal - BH Copy - 01-21-2009.

Under a ruling issued on June 23, 2009 by the Missouri Court of Appeals, Kansas City can continue to ban smoking from its bars and restaurants. The court affirmed Kansas City’s comprehensive smoking ban.Jonathan Sternberg, the attorney representing the bar, had argued that Kansas City is not allowed to regulate smoking in bars, billiard parlors and restaurants that seat fewer than 50 people because state law permits smoking in such places. He said Kansas City’s strict smoking restrictions are in conflict with state law and violate the Missouri Constitution.

But the city successfully argued that state law does not “permit” smoking in bars, small restaurants and billiard halls; it simply leaves those places unregulated, and cities can still impose smoking restrictions there. The court of appeals agreed, saying that Kansas City’s authority to enact the ban was not denied by other laws.

June 24, 2009 - - Greece, Europe’s heaviest smoking nation, will try to kick the habit by banning tobacco in indoor public places beginning July 1, but many doubt the ban will work. The new law will ban smoking indoors in all public or private areas used for working purposes, including airports, taxis, and buses. Some restaurants and bars will be able to choose whether their business is smoking or nonsmoking; others can set up ventilated smoking areas. Bar and restaurant owners, as well as the private sector’s umbrella labor union, say the law will harm business.

Greece breaks all European records with more than 40 percent of the population smoking and six out of 10 being exposed to smoking at work, according to a European Union poll. “We can’t take it anymore. Where I work there are so many smokers," said Elisavet Vasileiadou, 55, a shoe-store employee in central Athens. “I hope the ban will be implemented for the sake of our health, but I think it will be difficult. It’s not easy to tame Greeks, they’ll find a way out.’’

Greece has tried to ban smoking in hospitals and offices and requires restaurant and bar owners to designate smoking areas, but the measures have so far been widely ignored.

Smoking-related diseases kill about 20,000 people a year in Greece, costing the country $2.97 billion a year, the Health Ministry said.

The percentage of daily cigarette smokers declined gradually in the 15 years from 1993 to 2008. There were 754,800 current smokers from December 2007 to March 2008, accounting for 13.2% of people aged 15 and above in Hong Kong. Of them, 679,500 - or 90% - were daily smokers while the rest smoked less frequently. There were 294,000 smokers who previously had smoked every day - 5.1% of all people aged 15 and above.

Cigarettes were the most popular form of tobacco, consumed by 99.6% of the daily smokers. There was a higher percentage of daily cigarette smokers among men than women, while daily cigarette smoking seemed to be more popular among the middle-aged.The daily cigarette smokers had an average of 14 cigarettes in a day - about 48.4% taking one to 10 cigarettes and 46.9% taking 11 to 20 cigarettes. The figure in 2005 was 13 per day. Smokers aged 40 to 59 consumed more cigarettes than those in other age groups. About 59.8% of the daily cigarette smokers starting smoking due to the influence of friends and 36.7% out of curiosity. Other reasons included perceived necessity in social functions, influence of family members, easing tension, refreshing one's mind and killing time.

Of the 291,800 former daily smokers, 41.3% gave up smoking for health reasons, 29.6% considered smoking not good for their health, 17.4% quit under the influence of family members or friends, and 13.3% gave it up on the advice of healthcare professional.

June 23, 2009 - An intensive program to stop smoking works better than a minimal intervention for patients admitted to hospital for coronary artery bypass surgery or myocardial infarction. Patients in the intensive program received 45–60 minutes of bedside education and counseling, take-home materials and 7 counseling sessions with a nurse by telephone after discharge. Significantly more patients in the intensive program were abstinent at 1 year.

June 23, 2009 - Yesterday, Ireland's Office Of Tobacco Control (OTC) published its 2008 annual report showing compliance with smoke-free workplace legislation at highest ever level - 97 percent. This is the highest level of annual compliance since the introduction of the measure in 2004.

Ireland will plow ahead with further anti-smoker legislation from the beginning of next month, July 1, 2009 when it introduces a ban on the advertising and display of tobacco products in retail shops. At the same time, under new provisions of the Public Health (Tobacco) Acts 2002 and 2004, tobacco retailers will have to sign up to a retail register and tighter controls will be imposed on the location and operation of tobacco vending machines.

But there will be more to follow. Norma Cronin, Chairperson of OTC, said that while tobacco smoke-free workplaces and the removal of tobacco point-of-sale advertising placed Ireland in the forefront internationally in the fight against the “tobacco epidemic”, those in tobacco control should not become complacent. “All of us involved in tobacco control must continue to work together towards the shared vision of a tobacco free society,” she said.

- June 23, 2009 - Altria Group’s tobacco companies: Philip Morris USA, U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company and John Middleton, are now represented at retail by a single organization— Altria Sales & Distribution.

With three tobacco companies coming together, Altria Group is taking advantage of synergies and cost savings by consolidating the sales and distribution arms of the companies. "With this new organization comes the same professional sales service you've always received from Philip Morris USA, now covering cigarettes, cigars and smokeless tobacco products," Altria Group chairman and CEO Michael Szymanczyk said in a speech earlier this year. "Altria Sales & Distribution is focused on helping you identify and uncover new opportunities and strengthen your business in multiple tobacco categories."

Altria Sales & Distribution Services was created by combining the sales forces from PM USA and U.S. Smokeless, according to Szymanczyk. The new entity serves all three tobacco companies with an organization the size of PM USA's sales force before the UST integration. "We expect this new organization will provide increased retail-store coverage and better execution at retail, including improved product freshness, better merchandising and more-effective management of promotions."Richmond, Va.-based Altria Group would not share any details of the new business unit beyond sharing Szymanczyk's earlier comments; however, details of the service are available to "participating retailers" at Insightsc3m.com, the company's new "category-management resource." Among things available on the website are:

"We plan to absorb substantially all of the costs related to the integration of UST in 2009 and remain on track to deliver an estimated $300 million in integration cost savings," he said. "Across the Altria family of companies, we achieved $140 million in cost savings in the first quarter. Altria expects to achieve approximately $720 million in additional cost savings by 2011, bringing the total projected cost reductions to $1.5 billion versus the 2006 cost space."

As for the rest of Philip Morris USA, U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co. and John Middleton, Szymanczyk said, "Today, in our total tobacco business model, our three tobacco operating companies will focus primarily on two things: brand management and manufacturing. These businesses share similar trade and distribution channels, and some adult consumer overlap, allowing us to leverage services across all three businesses."

June 23, 2009 - As articulated by the White House, some of the key elements of the Family Smoking Prevention & Tobacco Control Act law:

* New Center for Tobacco Products: The FDA will create a new Center for Tobacco Products to oversee the science-based regulation of tobacco products in the United States. * Banning Candy-Flavored Cigarettes: By October 2009, cigarettes will be prohibited from having candy fruit, and spice flavors as their characterizing flavors. * Full Disclosure of Ingredients and Additives: By January 2010, tobacco manufacturers and importers will submit information to the FDA in their possession about ingredients and additives in tobacco products, a description of the nicotine content and delivery and the health consequences of tobacco products. * Stopping Youth-Focused Marketing: By April 2010, the FDA will issue the agency's 1996 regulation aimed at reducing young people's access to tobacco products and curbing the appeal of tobacco to the young. When the regulation becomes effective, a number of measures will take effect, including: Tobacco manufacturers may no longer sponsor sporting, athletic and entertainment events using tobacco product brand names and logos; no longer sell or give away clothing or other items which bear the brand name or logo of a tobacco product; and no longer distribute free samples of cigarettes, and free samples of smokeless tobacco will be allowed only in adult-only facilities. * Prohibiting Other Marketing Measures Misleading Consumers: By July 2010, tobacco manufacturers may no longer use the terms "light," "low" and "mild" on tobacco products. * New Warning Labels: By July 2011, warning labels for cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products will be revised and strengthened. Warnings will comprise the top 50% of the front and rear panels of the package. The FDA will issue regulations requiring graphics on labels depicting the health risks of smoking. * The Family Smoking Prevention & Tobacco Control Act of 2009 also provides the FDA with regulatory authority to regulate marketing and promotion of tobacco products and set performance standards for tobacco products to protect the public health.

June 22, 2009 - Even a short period of 4 to 8 weeks of smoking cessation prior to surgery for cancers of the mouth and throat improves wound healing, according to a new review. Furthermore, if the patient stays tobacco-free, the risk of cancer recurrence is substantially reduced.

However, full cessation is required; simply reducing the number of cigarettes smoked per day is of little benefit, Dr. Richard O. Wein from Tufts Medical Center, Boston, reports in the Archives of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery.

Although there are conflicting reports concerning the impact of short-term smoking cessation, Wein says, the sheer number of studies reporting the negative impact of continued tobacco use on postop lung function and wound healing "far outweighs those minimizing this impact."

Furthermore, multiple studies indicate increased risk of recurrence or the development of a second cancer in patients who continue to smoke after their cancers are diagnosed. One study, for example, found that 40 percent of patients who kept smoking after being treated for an oral cavity tumor had a recurrence or developed a second malignancy.

Unfortunately, people with a diagnosis of a mouth or throat cancer don't usually have the luxury of taking 2 months to stop smoking before surgery, because an operation is imperative, Wein notes.

"In these scenarios," he concludes, "although the impact of short-term (less than 2 weeks) preoperative smoking cessation on the immediate post-operative course may be modest, the long-term cardiopulmonary benefits and the potential decrease in the development of future smoking-related (malignancies) with sustained cessation are undeniable."